Man shoots self while cleaning gun

This is a discussion on Man shoots self while cleaning gun within the Off Topic & Humor Discussion forums, part of the The Back Porch category; Man Cleaning Gun Shot When It Drops, Discharges
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July 15, 2008 - 10:24AM
Scott Lawrence
A man has been seriously injured ...

You know...besides the obvious stupidity of trying to clean a loaded gun, I'm still trying to figure out how we keep seeing these..."he dropped it and it went off" types. I've dropped my own firearms way too many times to count on one hand...sometimes on purpose with snaps in them to try to get the hammer to drop(like after replacing sear springs etc...). I tend to prefer to test things after major modifications. Never once did one just go off from dropping it.

I suspect it was really more of a finger+trigger issue. If you just dropped your gun...let it fall. Don't try to catch it. A scratched finish is better then a tombstone or ventilator.

"Sure, As long as the machines are workin' and you can call 911. But you take those things away, you throw people in the dark, and you scare the crap out of them; no more rules...You'll see how primitive they can get."

"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result."
-Winston Churchill
Every well-bred petty crook knows: the small concealable weapons always go to the far left of the place setting.
-Inara, firefly

I did have a 1911 fall out of my holster and discharge muzzle first,but I always unload my guns prior to cleaning,either this guy was getting ready to clean his gun or had finished and loaded it back up then dropped it,Until my gun discharged I never believed the I dropped it and it discharged stories,but If you do drop a gun anywhere do not try to grab it let it fall all the way then pick it up,there is too much risk you will pull the trigger grabbing for it

I, too, am surprised so many of these occur. One would think that just one reported example is sufficient to teach others about the risk of ND.

It's like cleaning the pen of the Bengal tigers at the zoo. First, you send the tigers elsewhere. It's not rocket science.

Heh... I almost learned that specific example the hard way. Long story short...I was tagging along with the inspectors inspecting the cages of a small zoo operation to renew their permit. They sent the tiger into the separate smaller cage(attached to the main cage and separated by a steel gate). Anywhoo...we finished checking the tiger cage and moved on to the monkeys exhibit. So he let the tiger back out of the holding pen and into his main cage. A few minutes later we discovered (the hard way) that when he let the tiger out of the holding pen, he had forgotten to close the main cage gate. So effectively we were inside a fenced in main zoo area with a tiger in the cage next to us getting ready to bolt out the open door and heading right for us.

Needless to say the inspection didn't complete and they didn't get their permit renewed. Nothing like a meat eater looking at you like food and going for the open gate to get you jump started in the morning.

You have no idea of the concept of fear until you're staring at a hungry tiger 12" away through a fence and the hungry tiger stares back, licks his chops, looks at the open gate, looks at you again, and then makes a run for the open gate. On the plus side, I discovered I can climb fences REALLY fast.

"Sure, As long as the machines are workin' and you can call 911. But you take those things away, you throw people in the dark, and you scare the crap out of them; no more rules...You'll see how primitive they can get."